That was before he put in years of work regenerating the place – planting trees, taking care of them, carving seats out of huge logs, maintaining the creek – and the result is a beautiful park used every day by the community.

But Mr Flaherty may not even know his work has earned him a Medal of the Order of Australia – he is on a trip to South America.

Neighbour Dr Jenny Farrell, who nominated Mr Flaherty for the award, said the reserve was now a popular and beautiful place.

“Children play in the park, elderly people use it, it’s a place for reflection and playing,” she said. “There’s a beautiful bishop’s chair, he carved a log into a seat. There’s beautiful biodiversity and lots of birds.”

The regeneration has been helped by council, bushcare and community groups.